The Pakistan Shaheens have secured a dramatic one-run victory against Nepal in the 30th match held in Darwin on Friday. Chasing a target of 145 runs, Nepal’s innings concluded at 143 for 7 in 20 overs, despite a valiant effort from captain Rohit Paudel, whose 52 runs off 44 balls went in vain. Paudel’s half-century included six boundaries and one towering six. Dipendra Singh Airee was in superb form, dispatching the Shaheens’ bowlers with ease before he was run out by a combined effort from Abdul Samad and Ghazi Ghori.
Nepal faced an early setback when opener Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed for just 4 runs off 9 balls by Mohammad Salman. Aasif Sheikh then helped stabilize the Nepalese innings, forming a 52-run partnership with captain Paudel. The Shaheens, who seemed to be losing their grip on the game, made a crucial comeback when Mohammad Wasim took the wicket of Paudel. This dismissal gave the Green Shirts a renewed hope to stage a comeback. In the end, the Shaheens held their nerve and managed to beat Nepal.
For the Shaheens, Mohammad Wasim (2-28) and Faisal Akram (2-29) were the leading wicket-takers, with two wickets each. Mohammad Salman (1-28) also took a scalp. Mehran Mumtaz (0-20), Mubasir Khan (0-29), and Maaz Sadaqat (0-8) went wicketless.
Earlier in the match, the Shaheens chose to bat first against Nepal, but a batting collapse ensued after the wicket of Maaz Sadaqat. By the 13th over, the team had lost seven wickets for just 74 runs. The Shaheens’ skipper, Irfan Khan Niazi, came to the rescue, compiling an unbeaten 42 runs from 26 balls, which included three boundaries and one six. Other than Niazi, only Abdul Samad (26) and Mohammad Wasim (23) showed any resistance with the bat. Yasir Khan (18), Maaz Sadaqat (1), Mohammad Faiq (2), Ghazi Ghori (4), Mubasir Khan (3), Mehran Mumtaz (10), and Faisal Akram (1) failed to make an impact. Mohammad Salman remained unbeaten on 1 run.
For Nepal, Sompal Kami (3-30) was the standout bowler, taking three wickets. Dipendra Singh Airee (2-15) and Nandan Yadav (2-32) picked up two wickets apiece. Kushal Bhurtel (1-29) took one scalp, while Kushal Malla (0-9) and Sandeep Lamichhane (0-28) were unable to take any wickets.
